Cleveland Browns
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The Cleveland Browns are one of a few teams still in the hunt for a new quarterback before the 2025 NFL season kicks off. While Deshaun Watson is the No. 1 QB on the depth chart, a recently re-torn Achilles tendon is expected to keep him sidelined for the year.
That has the Browns scrambling for a new quarterback, yet some believe Cleveland already has a new potential starter on the roster.
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Cleveland Browns reportedly wanted to trade for Kenny Pickett last offseason
Kenny Pickett
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Knowing Deshaun Watson likely won’t be available, the Cleveland Browns have already made a fairly significant quarterback move this offseason by trading for former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett.
The Browns managed to convince the Philadelphia Eagles to trade the 20th overall pick from the 2022 NFL Draft for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick in March and now he’s set to be their starter. Unless, of course, they land a top prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Yet, according to ESPN’s Browns insider Daniel Oyefusi, Cleveland has been trying to trade for Pickett since last offseason.
“The Browns hold the No. 2 pick in the draft, but the Cleveland contingent in attendance for the league’s annual meeting — coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry and owner Jimmy Haslam — all said the team wouldn’t force a quarterback selection. It makes it very plausible then that Kenny Pickett, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Eagles in March, could be the Browns’ starter in September. Stefanski and Berry said they are confident if Pickett, the only healthy quarterback currently on the roster, is the one under center.
Berry added that Pickett, the No. 20 pick in the 2022 draft, is a player Cleveland sought as a trade target dating to last offseason. ‘We do think that there’s a pretty credible path for him to continue to improve and take a step forward,’ Berry said of 26-year-old Pickett.”
ESPN on Kenny Pickett
Still a young prospect, the Browns could very well strike gold with Pickett. Plus, it’s not like they gave up much trade capital in return for Pickett.
Ultimately, they’re taking a chance on a prospect who was once viewed as a player who had star potential. Perhaps landing with the Browns with former Coach of the Year winner Kevin Stefanski is just what Pickett needed to reach his ceiling.
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft: April draft projections for first and second rounds